Last week, a 20-year-old woman in New York City was arrested on charges of “self-induced abortion” and faces first-degree misdemeanor charges. Initial news reports indicate that she intentionally caused the miscarriage/abortion of her 24-week fetus. The woman disposed of the fetus in what was probably the only way she could think of: wrapped in plastic bags and placed in the trash receptacle of her apartment building.

The prosecution of this woman echoes similar cases in Idaho, Massachusetts and South Carolina. In spite of ever-increasing restrictions, abortion is legal through the second-trimester throughout the United States, although it is inaccessible to many women. Yet if women safely end their pregnancies without medical supervision, they face criminal penalties.

This is a growing problem, as criminalization of women around abortion has increased in recent years alongside new anti-choice policy efforts. It’s an important question though: why should something which is legal to do in a clinic be illegal to do at home? I think some of it has to do with laws that try and protect the interests of doctors by making it illegal to practice medicine without a license. Usually though, that involves medical procedures on another person, not on ones self.

The other piece of this is simply the increase in efforts to criminalize all abortion, and the impact it has on prosecution of cases like this. In countries where abortion is illegal, women who try to self-induce or use an underground provider often get criminalized if they show up at the hospital with complications. Now we’re starting to see the same problem here. Susan and Steph make the most important point:

We certainly should do everything possible to provide excellent information to women about services and fight to keep abortion care widely available and accessible. But if a woman decides that the best thing for her to do is to self-induce an abortion, she should have access to the best information available on how to do this safely (ie with medicines, NOT herbs) and know where to go in case of a complication. Criminalizing her choices does not protect her health. If we believe that women have the right to control their fertility, then we must also trust women with the right to choose the methods that make the most sense for them.

Today House and Senate Republicans passed a widely unpopular tax bill, sending it to President Trump’s desk to be signed. Though you might not guess it, this bill will directly impact people’s access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services.

Republicans are using tax reform as an opportunity to rollback important components of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) after several unsuccessful attempts to repeal the bill entirely. One major feature of the ACA is its individual health insurance mandate, which penalizes people who are not insured through their employers or through the insurance marketplace. While the penalty may seem unfair, it ensures that as many people as possible enroll in health insurance, making insurance more ...

Today House and Senate Republicans passed a widely unpopular tax bill, sending it to President Trump’s desk to be signed. Though you might not guess it, this bill will directly impact ...

Trump intends to nominate a woman named Penny Young Nance as ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues. As such, she’d be responsible for managing the State Department’s programs to fight gender-based violence and promote women and girls’ educational and economic achievement.

Here’s the problem: Penny Young Nance has made her career standing in the way of girls’ and women’s rights.

Nance is the President and CEO of Concerned Women For America (CWA), an organization whose mission statement says it “protects and promotes Biblical values and Constitutional principles” in America. The group is as far-right as it gets, and Nance is basically a bargain Phyllis Schlafly — a reactionary zealot ...

Trump intends to nominate a woman named Penny Young Nance as ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues. As such, she’d be responsible for managing the State Department’s programs to fight gender-based violence ...

Last week, 45 pardoned Joe Arpaio, the Arizona sheriff who made a name for himself by profiling and abusing Latinxs and immigrants.

The pardon comes after Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt of court for violating a federal district judge’s order to stop discriminating against Latinos. Trump justified pardoning Arpaio by lauding “his life’s work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration.”

Here are 15 reasons Trump is wrong and Arpaio deserves to burn in hell.

Arpaio was convicted for systematically targeting and illegally detaining Latinxs at traffic stops. He and his officers routinely violated Latinx’s civil rights, creating an environment of fear and terror in Maricopa County — but that’s only the beginning.
During his ...

Last week, 45 pardoned Joe Arpaio, the Arizona sheriff who made a name for himself by profiling and abusing Latinxs and immigrants.

The pardon comes after Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt of court for ...

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